Why do garages fob you off?

[anonymous-user]

• ****edit - original title was - Why do garages fob you off - No idea how it ended up as it is. ********

So I presume most of us have been in a situation of a similar nature. Business/tradesperson agrees to carry out work. That work has an implied or even confirmed timescale.

In my case, a car garage has taken my car to carry out some basic work. Dropped the car off, caught the train back home and luckily I called before I made the return journey to be told "I was just going to call you (sure) I haven't started you car, I'll do it next week."

Now, I wanted my motor for sunday so thats out. The job was agreed to be done yesterday morning. The excuse I got was " I've been doing MOT's" - I read this as, "I've already got your money in the bank, so the car can sit here until I can be arsed."


I've had the same experience with well known garages as the less well known.

Whether its modifying, servicing, repairing, in a b2b or a b2c position.


Just seems really odd to me that you get booked in for something and it just doesn't get done. Then you feel like a pr1ck chasing...


What say you PH - do you share in my frustration?

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 23 April 15:24

[dontlookdown]

If you have paid the guy already, then yes you may struggle to get him motivated.

Never pay a tradesman upfront. Or if you.must only pay a modest proportion of the total. . It's getting paid that motivates them to complete the job in a timely fashion.

I am self employed and find this too. Some clients pay me for a year's work upfront. Nice when the dosh lands in Spring but come autumn and I'm still working on a job I got paid for months ago. It's much harder to raise much enthusiasm by then;)

[dontlookdown]

Also, did you mean to post this in the commercial vehicles section? Sounds like.its about a car...

[anonymous-user]

Nope, it will be about cars in general. I haven't paid them upfront which is odd.

Multiple porsche specialists
BMW specialists
Italian specialists
Regular garages

All have the same traits...

[Geffg]

When I do jobs for people I prefer them not to pay me until the job is done. Not that I wouldn’t return to complete the job but it motivates me to do the job. I once done a rewire for my partners brother and he paid us upfront. We done the first fix then it wasn’t ready for nearly 2 years. Was hard to get motivated 2 yrs after being paid.

[Zarco]

Mr Spoon said:

Nope, it will be about cars in general. I haven't paid them upfront which is odd.

Multiple porsche specialists
BMW specialists
Italian specialists
Regular garages

All have the same traits...

Yes, but this section is about lorries and lorry driving

[anonymous-user]

Zarco said:

Mr Spoon said:

Nope, it will be about cars in general. I haven't paid them upfront which is odd.

Multiple porsche specialists
BMW specialists
Italian specialists
Regular garages

All have the same traits...

Yes, but this section is about lorries and lorry driving

And clearly this is posted in the wrong section, trying to avoid the wrong section

[Captain Answer]

Assumptions get made on how you look or how you speak etc... I look like an IT nerd but I have worked on cars a lot and try and do most of my own work

I took my Touareg in for getting the tow-bar wired in (it had a bar but no wiring), they ask me into the workshop and tell me the bar is scrap as it's missing a bolt...

"ok, can you order a bolt and fit it? I'll leave you the car"

'no, you can't buy them they are special one off bolts'

I bend a bit closer "they're m14 by 1.5 pitch 11.1 high tensile steel bolts, can get them in any fastners shop"

'no, they are one off'

"you mean single use? yeh you probably torque then angle them to stretch them a set length"

'i've got to get on... can you leave the workshop please'

Picked up the bolts the next day from a fastners and ended up sorting it myself

[some bloke]

Years ago I took my 1978 Toyota Crown to an exhaust guy to get the rear muffler/resonator thing replaced. I went in one afternoon, showed him the job, he said yep, bring it in tomorrow.

I said, I start work at 0700, so I will leave it on he street with the keys on top of the FR wheel. He took my name and number, I said I'll be back about 4 to collect it. He said sure, see you then.

I went back at 4pm the next day, the cars still sitting in the street, keys on the tyre.
I asked if he'd had a chance to do he job and he denied any knowledge of the job, the car or me spending 10 min there chatting with him the day before. Prick.

[anonymous-user]

So the job was supposed to be done Friday. It's now 3.30 Monday and not heard anything. Perhaps I'll call him at 4.45pm.

[RazerSauber]

I had this recently. My preferred mechanic had the sheer nerve to grow old and retire so I used one that my mum rated well. Took my car in for brake judder under braking. Simple, one would have thought. Well, 5 months later the car is returned to me. Complete with 1 new ABS ring, 1 replacement ABS pump and 1 new ABS sensor. I was told the fault persisted but was improved. Right.. Took the car home. No noticeable difference in the way the car went. Still had the same juddering feeling (it was the ABS triggering). The guy at the garage told me his mechanic had tested wiring, pick ups, live data (on a 1997 car..) and all sorts so it was the best it could be. A quick look under the car and I saw the shiny new ABS ring. Fair enough. I thought I'd check the other side. Massive split in the ring. It was obvious. Not a slight crack, about a 1mm gap in the ring. I managed to find this with an iPhone light and a jack on the side of the road and a garage had 5 months but couldn't figure it out?? Either way, £30 and 2-3 messy hours later, I had a new CV joint fitted (Can't be bothered heating up crusty ABS rings for an hour to save £20 on a CV joint that's got to come off anyway) and the car has driven immaculately since. I guess some just want the easy pads & disks to upsell. Low risk, easy money.

[randomeddy]

5 MONTHS ?!!!!

[anxious_ant]

dontlookdown said:

If you have paid the guy already, then yes you may struggle to get him motivated.

Never pay a tradesman upfront.

From recent experience I fully agree. Got an electrician in to do some cabling work. It’s a 2 day job. Wanted 30% deposit as he needed to source some materials (cables). Fair enough.
Day 1 came and did good job. Day 2 said he will need to come back tomorrow to finish some bits off but as job is almost done can I just pay the full invoice. Paid and he never came back. Always same excuse “struggling to find time around busy schedule”.
Not too happy about this but at least what’s left is not too major and I can finish it off myself.

[Geffg]

anxious_ant said:

From recent experience I fully agree. Got an electrician in to do some cabling work. It’s a 2 day job. Wanted 30% deposit as he needed to source some materials (cables). Fair enough.
Day 1 came and did good job. Day 2 said he will need to come back tomorrow to finish some bits off but as job is almost done can I just pay the full invoice. Paid and he never came back. Always same excuse “struggling to find time around busy schedule”.
Not too happy about this but at least what’s left is not too major and I can finish it off myself.

Tradesmen that do that really p#ss me off and that’s why I’d never do it myself. I once got stung when I had a kitchen done. I had a worktop with a curve on the end. They glued the trim on where it had been cut and taped it all up and said leave it couple days to set etc. on removing the tape I was left with a mess of a job. Same again that he’d never come back as busy etc. Ended up having to get someone else to remove the worktops, redo the corner and trim better.

[Truckosaurus]

Mr Spoon said:

Nope, it will be about cars in general. I haven't paid them upfront which is odd.

Multiple porsche specialists
BMW specialists
Italian specialists
Regular garages

All have the same traits...

If you get bad service everywhere then there's only one common denominator....

[mike9009]

I thought it was just me......

I have needed to get a new gearbox for my T25 since New Year's Day when it blew up.

My usual specialist would not store my van for six weeks whilst the box was reconditioned. Fair enough.

So tried three different mobile mechanics who said they could do remove it on my driveway. One then went radio silent. Another failed to turn up on three different occasions.

So decided to get a knackered box from eBay and ship to the reconditioner. Been chasing for six weeks and eventually the guy has got it done and shipping to me tomorrow. This was after many messages promising to look at it in the next couple of days......

All businesses had been recommended.

In the meantime, I have stripped the van for some cosmetic works. My local specialist has committed to early June fitment of the gearbox after six months of chasing people every few days.....

I suspect the lack of new car supply has increased demand on these businesses who now are having difficulty finding labour too. Hence customer service has dropped somewhat, but even so I seem to struggle with any trades. (Recently cancelled an order and deposit refunded for a new composite front door because the supplier did not provide me with a fitment date after four months of chasing).

But why over commit and piss customers off??

[Ryyy]

I once took my car to a garage i intended to use from then on and paid £600 for a repair which a couple of weeks later failed. Fobbed me off many times about resolving the issue and when it went in to get resolved fobbed me off some more. I really don't get why you'd turn down years of custom+ loss from bad reputation for the sake of ripping someone off for a bit of money.

[gazza285]

Captain Answer said:

Assumptions get made on how you look or how you speak etc... I look like an IT nerd but I have worked on cars a lot and try and do most of my own work

I took my Touareg in for getting the tow-bar wired in (it had a bar but no wiring), they ask me into the workshop and tell me the bar is scrap as it's missing a bolt...

"ok, can you order a bolt and fit it? I'll leave you the car"

'no, you can't buy them they are special one off bolts'

I bend a bit closer "they're m14 by 1.5 pitch 11.1 high tensile steel bolts, can get them in any fastners shop"

'no, they are one off'

"you mean single use? yeh you probably torque then angle them to stretch them a set length"

'i've got to get on... can you leave the workshop please'

Picked up the bolts the next day from a fastners and ended up sorting it myself

What is an 11.1 high tensile bolt?

[glazbagun]

I imagine most garages have an abundance of easy bread/butter work and anything even remotely difficult is taking time away from easy profits. That's why it's gold when you find a good indy who knows a particular car well and is happy to do more than change the oil.

[Unbusy]

Grade of steel- structural grade. I thunk!